The testing and failure of the Sequoia Advantage machines in Pennsylvania dominates the news today. It will be interesting to see if Sequoia can get it right and can get something to pass testing by the state and then get it federally qualified in enough time to allow the counties to use it. I don't see it happening but then the whole process with the ITAs seems to be PFM (Pure F*****g Magic) sometimes. They may even stamp it with the 2002 qualification even though it is still not accessible....

In this video, Senator Lindsey Graham questions John Dean and Bruce Fein at today's Censure Hearing. Besides being argumentative and contrary, it's difficult to make much sense out of the Senator's hostility.

Steve Soto of The Left Coaster has this to say about Senator Graham's performance:

If any of you want to see how ignorant Lindsey Graham is about American history, and how willing he is to explain away Bush's lawbreaking in the NSA spying debacle, watch C-SPAN's coverage tonight of him getting slapped around by John Dean at today's hearing on Feingold's censure resolution. In the short audio clip that Randi Rhodes just played on her Air America show, it was all Dean could do to keep from yelling out "Senator, you are a fucking moron" as he corrected Graham's distortions and ignorance about Watergate.

I've lost any remaining respect I had for the bootlicking, buffoonish Graham after this. I sure hope his parents didn't pay for that pathetic education, because if they did, they need to demand a refund.

Meanwhile meanwhile... The Wingnuts have discovered they too should be concerned about hackable Electronic Voting Machines, as we find in this article posted yesterday over at RedState blog --- the site co-founded by serial plagiarist and disgraced former Washington Post blogger (for three days anyway) Ben Domenech --- concerning new ownership of Sequoia by Venezuelan firm Smartmatic.

Apparently, the writer is concerned about Electronic Voting Machines only now that he's realized Smartmatic may be owned or controlled or unduly influenced by one Hugo Chavez. He goes so far as to quote these words by another blogger in his article:

It is extremely worrying indeed that a company with connections to the Hugo Chavez regime has been selected to run elections in a county of Chicago and given carte blanche to operate in the USA and other countries.

While we're glad to see the Wingnuts suddenly giving a damn about Electronic Voting --- now that they're concerned about their own ox being gored by a company which may have left-leaning ownership --- we're hardly surprised that the anonymous blogger who calls him or herself "AcademicElephant" (we'll presume it's a "he") didn't seem to have such concerns about another Voting Machine Company with "connections to the George W. Bush regime [being] selected to run elections" all over our country in 2004 during one of the most contentious elections in our country's history.

But of more concern for the moment, now that Mr. Elephant has suddenly decided to be worried about such important matters as a transparent and accountable democracy, he sadly exhibits the all-too-familiar Wingnut tendency of having a problem with that whole pesky "fact thing".

By way of example, Mr. Elephant decides right off the bat to use some of the same tired old misleading propaganda in one of his early grafs...

According to this July 25, 1969 article from Time Magazine, which was reporting on public fears over new surveillance powers given to the Administration by the Congress, Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell told Americans they had nothing to worry about:

During his presidential campaign, Richard Nixon said that he would take full advantage of the new law-a promise that raised fears of a massive invasion of privacy. To calm those fears, the Administration last week issued what amounted to an official statement on the subject.

In his first news conference since becoming the President's chief legal officer, Attorney General John N. Mitchell pointedly announced that the incidence of wiretapping by federal law enforcement agencies had gone down, not up, during the first six months of Republican rule. Mitchell refused to disclose any figures, but he indicated that the number was far lower than most people might think. "Any citizen of this United States who is not involved in some illegal activity," he added, "has nothing to fear whatsoever."

Because all of this was before FISA, the Nixon Administration was able to exercise their eavesdropping powers on Americans in secret, without any oversight of any kind --- just like the Bush Administration has been doing even in the face of FISA. We all know how well that worked out. It was the shocking abuses of those powers by not just the Nixon Administration, but by the Kennedy and Johnson Justice Departments as well --- all which were revealed only as part of the Church Committee's investigation --- that led to the enactment of FISA, since the country no longer trusted political officials to exercise eavesdropping powers on Americans in secret and with no oversight.

The Christian Science Monitorreports that Jill Carroll was not aware that the first (and most replayed) video taped interview would be broadcast in Iraq or internationally. In fact Carroll may not even been certain that she was free during the interview.

This video contain several clips. CNN's Nick Robertson opens with a quick report saying that Jill Carroll was not aware that the interview would be broadcast. Next, we have included the complete raw interview footage. Finally, Miles O'Brien interviews the editor of The Christian Science Monitor for some behind-the-scenes information about Carroll's state of mind during her initial release and during that first video interview.

Jill Carroll's kidnappers simply left her at the offices of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) in the city of Amariyah. She had not been released to American or Iraqi officials at the time of the first interview.

Carroll was told that the interview would be for 'internal' party use. The IIP owns Baghdad TV so maybe it isn't surprising that they broadcast the interview.

Last night's DVN mentioned that Dr. Michael Shamos had found a "minor glitch" in the Sequoia Advantage system that he was inspecting for the state of Pennsylvania. In fact, Dr. Shamos had never called the problem a "glitch", that was the reporters words and not his, and it has now been reported that the problem is worse than he originally found and he has refused to certify these machines at this time....

Last night's DVN mentioned that Dr. Michael Shamos had found a "minor glitch" in the Sequoia Advantage system that he was inspecting for the state of Pennsylvania. In fact, Dr. Shamos had never called the problem a "glitch", that was the reporters words and not his, and it has now been reported that the problem is worse than he originally found and he has refused to certify these machines at this time....

Meanwhile...in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County, where plans to use Diebold's hackable Electronic Voting Equipment have recently been nixed, Plan B seems to be failing too. The machines they'd hope to use instead, as made by Sequoia Voting Systems, have now been shown to be hackable as well.

Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette picked up on the story yesterday, and followed up today on the testing being run in Allegheny County by Dr. Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon University professor, on the "new" Sequoia Voting Machines. The county had hoped to use these systems --- ten-year old Sequoia "Advantage" machines as purchased from Clark County, Nevada who is moving to a different Sequoia system --- in their upcoming Primary Elections in May. That plan, now may be in grave doubt.

The testing of the machines has found so many problems --- including Shamos' findings during "tampering tests" that he was able to instantly "transform a handful of votes into thousands" --- that he has now simply shut down the entire process described as "pointless" due to all of the errors in the software.

HARRISBURG --- A state voting-machine examiner yesterday halted testing of the machine Allegheny County intends to use in the May primary, saying it was pointless to continue until a critical software problem is resolved.

"It's not useful to continue because [the software] clearly is not stable," said Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon University professor.

Sequoia Voting Systems, the Oakland, Calif.-based manufacturer of AVC Advantage voting machines, will have a chance to fix the software and have it retested in a week or two. Otherwise, it's unlikely the machines will be certified for use in Pennsylvania.

As you may recall, it was machines made by Sequoia which failed so miserably across the state in Illinois just last week during the Primary Elections there. Just a handful of the many mainstream reports covering the meltdown are here, here and here.

Now pay attention...because this can be confusing...

Illinois' Cook County (Chicago) had used new Sequoia "Edge" machines in the recent primary that had been purchased by Clark County, Nevada. Since Illinois' primaries were first, and Sequoia didn't have time or inventory to fill both orders, Cook used Clark's machines for last week's contest only.

Those "Edge" machines, which failed so disastrously in Cook County, IL, are now to be shipped to Clark County, NV who is selling their own ten-year old Sequoia "Advantage" machines to Allegheny County, PA. It is those ten-year old machines which are now being tested in Allegheny and failing so horrendously.

All of which begs the questions: How well were those "Advantage" machines tested in Nevada in the last ten years? How much is Nevada now looking forward to using the new and failed "Edge" machines that they had loaned for a single use to Cook County, IL? And finally, will Clark County, NV bother to test them to find out if they too are hackable like the ones --- modified a bit by Sequoia on the way, apparently --- that they've just unloaded on Allegheny County, PA?

But back to the halted tests in Allegheny...and the claims by Sequoia officials that the problems found were "no big deal". Shamos doesn't see them as "no big deal" and is concerned that a malicious hacker could do precisely what he was able to do in these tests...

State Sen. Debra Bowen released a statement moments ago about yesterday's report that the new computerized California Voter Registration Database is summarily rejecting some 26% of all new or re-registering voters across the statewide. The LA Times reported yesterday that some 43% of voters in Los Angeles County alone have been dumped by the new system.

We'll have more on all of this soon. Working on a number of items at once, as well as being in full catch--up mode after being on the road for a week. So for now, here's Bowen's release in full...

WANT TO REGISTER OR RE-REGISTER TO VOTE?
WHOA, NOT SO FAST, YOU'RE A "MIKE" NOT A "MICHAEL"

BOWEN NOTES IRONY AS SECRETARY OF STATE DECLARES APRIL "CALIFORNIA VOTER EDUCATION & PARTICIPATION MONTH" AT THE SAME TIME HE'S PREVENTING ELIGIBLE CALIFORNIANS FROM REGISTERING TO VOTE

SACRAMENTO ľ Just days after it was revealed that an agreement between the Bush Administration and Secretary of State Bruce McPherson is preventing tens of thousands of Californians from registering and re-registering to vote, the Secretary of State today proclaimed April as "Voter Education & Participation Month."

The irony wasn't lost on Senator Debra Bowen, the chairwoman of the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee.

"It's ironic to see him proclaim April as 'voter participation month' after he signed a landmark agreement with President Bush's Department of Justice that makes it hard for people to register and re-re-register to vote in California," said Bowen. "The deal he cut with the Bush Administration nearly five months ago has been a disaster for anyone who is trying to register for the first time or re-register because they moved, got married and need to change their name, or because they want to change parties."

More than 30,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee from their homes after being threatened with death due to sectarian differences. This video from ABC News reports on one Iraqi family that has been forced into exile. While the video doesn't reflect the magnitude of the problem, it is one of the first reports broadcast to a large American audience.

In the ABC News video report, Professor of Mideast Studies at Sarah Lawrance College Fawaz Gerges says, "This is the beginning of the nightmare." Fawaz's experience tells him that Iraq is at the early stages of Bosnia's ethnic cleansing or Lebanon's civil war.

You'll recall that in February the Palm Beach Postreported that "conservative" extremist Ann Coulter may have committed a vote fraud felony by signing someone else's address to her registration form in Florida and then voting in the wrong precinct --- a crime which, if convicted, could earn her three years behind bars.

(It's been pointed out to us that such bars would have to be very close together to keep her from simply slithering through them to escape...Though even at that, we're not sure there is steel strong enough to keep her from being able to chew her way to freedom. But we digress.)

A few days after the story originally broke, Coulter claimed publicly she didn't even live in Palm Beach where she reportedly committed the crime. The Post reporter who broke the story, Jose Lambiet, quickly replied that he had hard evidence that she does, in fact, live in Palm Beach (next door to town councilman Bill Brooks on Seabreeze Ave.) and he characterized Coulter's denial as "absolutely a bold-faced lie."

Yesterday the Palm Beach Post offered still more "skinny" on the latest in the Ann Coulter Voter Fraud Felony Scandal. Her denials about being a Palm Beach resident is about to be tested --- first by the Palm Beach County Election Supervisor Arthur Anderson, and then perhaps by the Florida State Attorney to whom the entire matter may be referred.

Coulter's now got 30 days to 'splain herself, according to Lambiet in the Post. Please read on...

MSNBC Countdown's Keith Olbermann interviews former Nixon White House Council John Dean. Dean is scheduled to testify at a Friday hearing on Feingold's Censure Resolution.

As Nixon's White House Council during Watergate, Dean testified before the Senate committee that eventually lead to Nixon's resignation. John Dean has compared President Bush to Nixon and says that Bush's warrantless wiretapping program is illegal.

The Friday hearing will be held by Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter's who strongly opposes the censure resolution. Specter withheld the names of other witness scheduled to testify.

In this interview, Dean says:

The Senator's Censure Resolution raises issues that I think need to be addressed. If some of the other legislation on the National Security wiretaps do not pass then something like [censure] is necessary or the Senate and Congress are going to waive any right to complain about [the illegal wiretapping].

... if the Congress doesn't stand up and say something about what the Presidents is doing --- in essence we have, down in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, lawyers who are taking the most aggressive reading of any part of the law that they can to enhance execute power. And I think it's past time for Congress really to stand up and do something about it.

John Dean also comments on the White House Chief of Staff change and how Jack Abramoff is a threat to the Bush Administration.

Another county in Pennsylvania is reporting that they have been told by ES&S that they will not get all of the machines they have contracted for. It appears that ES&S has overextended their promises and their Philippines manufacturing plant just can't crank them out fast enough. Also in Pennsylvania Michael Shamos has found a problem with the Sequoia software but he is passing it off as a 'minor glitch' even though it appears to be the same problem that affected machines in Illinois in their primary. In Florida the AG has decided to subpoena the three vendors who have decided not to sell to Leon County. Collusion? ...

Just out from AP, the Florida state Attorney General has subpoenaed the three Electronic Voting Machine companies who have all refused to do business with Leon County, FL Election Supervisor Ion Sancho since he discovered that Diebold's optical-scan voting system was vulnerable to hackers.

Sancho's discovery, revealed via a mock election test last December, showed in no uncertain terms that Diebold's systems could be hacked, the results of an election flipped, without a trace being left behind.

Since then, as The BRAD BLOG has previously reported, all three Voting Machine Vendors certified to do business in the state have all refused to sign contracts with the heroic elected official (even though sales reps from both ES&S and Sequoia had initially promised to do so).

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --- Florida's attorney general said Wednesday his office has issued investigative subpoenas to the three companies certified to sell voting machines in Florida as he reviews a dispute between the firms and Leon County's elections supervisor.

Diebold Inc., Election Systems & Software Inc., and Sequoia Voting Systems Inc. have refused to sell equipment to let disabled voters cast ballots without help in Leon County.
...
"It is critical for our democratic process to work efficiently and effectively, but of most importance, fairly," Attorney General Charlie Crist said. "These subpoenas are to ensure that the rights of our voters with disabilities as well as all Florida voters are secured."

Crist wants to see copies of documents relating to sales of voting machines by Diebold, Election Systems & Software and Sequoia in Florida since January 2003. Crist's office began the investigation in early February.

At this time, it's still unknown whether the companies refusal to do business with Sancho is due to collusion on their part, or simply because ES&S and Sequoia are concerned that Sancho may actually examine their machines with the same rigor previously applied to Diebold's machines. Sancho, though we've asked him on several occassions (one of those occasions was live on The Young Turks radio show, the MP3 of that interview is here) refuses to speculate.

The now infamous "hack test" has had repurcussions around the nation, including in California where it caused the Sec. of State to momentarily pause, commission a panel of experts to analyze situation and independently confirm the gaping security hole along with finding at least 16 others, before going ahead and certifying the hackable machines in the state anyway. A group of 25 state voters recently filed a lawsuit to prevent the purchase and use of Diebold machines in the state.

In Maryland, one of Diebold's original "showcase states", the Republican Governor has called for a ban of Diebold's machines and the State House of Reps recently voted 137 to 0 to do exactly that.

For its part, the state of Florida's Sec. of State --- while recognizing the problem exposed by Sancho and warning all state Elections Officials about the matter --- has nonetheless attacked and threatened the elected Sancho with removal from office if he's unable to strike a deal with one of the vendors certified to do business in the state. That, despite wide support from around the country, and in his own county of Leon which is home to the state's capitol of Tallahassee --- otherwise known as JebVille.

Officials of Diebold Election Systems have agreed to meet again with Leon County officials to discuss the possibility of selling their voting equipment for handicapped voters to the county.

Whether that's a good or bad thing, we'll leave to someone else to determine. But, never a dull moment.

UPDATE 3/30/06:Jim March of BBV posts the actual subpoenas and interrogatory questions sent to all three companies by the AG. Looks like he means business and seems to be building a case for collusion and anti-trust violations amongst the companies. (Hat-tip to commenter "Catherine A")